It’s MRI time again, with Carys’s 4th post-op scan done a couple of weeks ago. We saw Lisa for the results this week, and it seems pretty much the same news as last time. The tumour is a little bit bigger than the previous scans 3 months ago, but nothing significant. So we went back 6 months to compare against her September scans, and the tumour is about 1cm longer since then. Not the news we were hoping for. Each time we scan, we are very hopeful for some shrinkage, but at the same time, try not to get our hopes up too much. Lisa was reassuring as usual, again emphasizing the factors we have in our favour, ie, that the tumour is not N-MYC amplified, has favourable histology and has no metastases. However, I could sense that her concern levels were raised. She wants to continue to keep a very close eye on Carys. Should the next scans in June show the same pattern, then surgery becomes a very real possibility. I am still trying to sort through my thoughts on this. The best possible path would be for spontaneous regression, and that’s what we continue to hope and pray for. I am loathe to put Carys through another major surgery, but if a second chance meant the tumour could be completely removed, then it would be worth it. If it comes to that, I know Carys will be my source of strength. She’s such a brave, strong, resilient little girl who takes everything in her stride and emerges even stronger than before. It’s me who falls apart to see her hooked up to numerous tubes and all bandaged up.
In other Carys news, we have seen her language and communication just explode in the past couple of months. Yesterday, she found some old baby photos of Chris and me. She came to get me, pulling on my hand saying “mummy, mummy, come quick, check this out!” She understands everything that’s going on, and we can have proper conversations with her. Every day is just a joy to spend with her, watching her blossom and thrive.
Meanwhile, big brother Tane has passed a milestone of his own. In February Tane started school and after a bit of a rough start, he seems to have found his place. He comes home with stories of sand castles and singing Aladdin songs. Oh and he’s also learning to read and do maths, so its not all play!
